


Cruel Summer

by FalCatrecon



Series: Rich Romance [4]
Category: Life (TV), The Agency (TV 2001), The Evil Gene (2015)
Genre: M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-06-02 21:42:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19450066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FalCatrecon/pseuds/FalCatrecon
Summary: For the @nongaberichbang bingo squares ‘friends to lovers’ & ‘triplets’Stiles crossed his arms. “Dean Ellis is in town and I’ve met him. Even if you turn down the job, I think you should meet him too.”-Stiles smirked but outlined the job. “He’s here because his company has figured out a type of rocket fuel that’s cheaper and burns more efficiently than before. Overseas isn’t happy because standard loss of revenue and we’re worried while he’s out here doing contract negotiations that something might go down.” He shrugged sheepishly. “I may have mentioned how much he looks like you two, so the decoy plan got put on the table.”





	1. Cross My Heart

Griff was leaning on the corner of Lex’s desk when Stiles busted into the office space. “Great! Was hoping to find you two together.” Lex spun in his chair and Griff looked up, both looking expectantly. Stiles barreled on, looking excited. “You remember that sex tape we made?”

A wash of confusion crossed Griff’s face. “A what now?” He was going to assume it was work related until further context, but Stiles wasn’t bad enough to fault Lex if it really was what it sounded like. He seriously doubted though, considering the big brother complex Stiles had.

Stiles paused for a second before realizing what he had just said. He started to turn a little red as Lex began to laugh. “No no. Not us. Uh, we had to make a tape with a guy who looked like a conservative politician.” He frowned again, the blush deepening. “Still not us. It was a chick. We just had to film it.”

Lex just laughed harder and Griff slowly raised an eyebrow as Stiles continued to dig himself a hole. Griff took pity and interrupted him. If he really wanted to know details he’d ask Lex later. “What did you need us for?”

Stiles shook his head, obviously thankful to be off the subject. “A body double.” He coughed slightly as the blush finally began to fade. “I’m on assignment to guard a guy, but we were hoping for one of you two to play decoy.”

Lex finally got himself under control again just long enough to make another snarky comment. “So what, a porno decoy?”

“Fine, forget I said anything about that.” Stiles crossed his arms petulantly. “Dean Ellis is in town and I’ve met him. Even if you turn down the job, I think you should meet him too.” 

He was starting to pout in that ‘manly’ way he did, so Lex couldn’t help needling him again. “You interested in triplets?” It was fun not being on the receiving end for once, and no Terri to make them back down.

Griff sighed in exasperation. “Would you two stop flirting and please get to the point? Are we officially on assignment or not?”

It was Lex’s turn to flush. There might not be a Terri but there was still a Griff, who in hindsight might be worse. Stiles smirked but outlined the job. “He’s here because his company has figured out a type of rocket fuel that’s cheaper and burns more efficiently than before. Overseas isn’t happy because standard loss of revenue and we’re worried while he’s out here doing contract negotiations that something might go down.” He shrugged sheepishly. “I may have mentioned how much he looks like you two, so the decoy plan got put on the table.”

“Makes sense.” Griff looked to Lex and back to Stiles. He sighed and shook his head. “I think we need to meet him first, but depending on what we need to do, Lex may be the better choice.”

Lex looked up in surprise and worry. Griff was leaps better than he used to be, and Lex was certain he could handle the assignment. He fidgeted a moment before asking. “Why?”

Griff smiled over at Lex, knowing why he asked. He was glad for the vote of confidence but it wasn’t why he was thinking. “Because it’s a tech company?” He pointed at himself. “I couldn’t talk shop no matter how hard I tried.”

Oh. Ooooh. Well now Lex felt bad for asking. He stood up in an attempt to cover his embarrassment and gestured at Stiles. “Lead the way.”

\------------

They hashed out the minor details on the drive over, Stiles explaining the different routes to hotels and the like. There was very little mingling with anyone, that would be left for the actual Dean. The rest, and most of the major place to place movement, would be Lex and Griff. It would mean they could be in danger, but at least it was part of their job description. Stiles dropped them off in a green room while he went to get Dean for introductions.

Lex settled as close to Griff as he could, lightly running a hand along his shoulder. Griff offered a smile in return. He leaned a little closer and snuck a kiss on his sleeve. Griff rolled his eyes but leaned into his space to let Lex steal a kiss. He was such a sap.

The door opened and Stiles rolled his eyes as Lex backed up with a start. “Knew I had to come in first. Leave the PDA at home guys.” He grinned as he turned to the door, opening it the rest of the way. The man who they assumed was Dean Ellis walked in.

Lex stood up and walked over, inspecting Dean with surprise. “You said we looked alike, Stiles, not _identical_.” He shook his head when he realized he was staring for too long and stuck out his hand. “Sorry. Lex.”

Griff approached slower, letting Lex have his turn before giving his own once over of the man. He really and truly was a third, a triplet. He eyes shifted to Lex and back, using him more as a comparison point. Tiny differences where there like he and Griff, but mostly way of dress and hair. Everything else was mostly just body language.

Dean tentatively took Lex’s hand, not troubled by the staring as he had been doing the same. His assigned bodyguard had said body doubles, not outright twins. If he hadn’t just gone through an entire legal battle proving his relation to his father so he could get the company back, he’d wonder if he was adopted. The more business-like of the two took his turn in shaking hands, introducing himself as Griff Krenshaw. “Nice to meet both of you.” He looked again between them. “Are you two related or…”

Lex grinned and shook his head. “Not even second cousins.”

Dean shrugged. “I wasn’t sure so I thought it safe to ask.” His eyes flicked between the two again, comparing them. Tiny differences, maybe Griff was a little older. Lex seemed closer to his age anyway. But for someone who didn’t know him except by pictures? They wouldn’t be able to tell them apart. He did wonder now a bit at Stiles PDA remark, considering their nonrelation. He thought it was a joke, but watching the way they stood close had him wondering. Or that was Stiles’ whole point and part of the grand joke he was telling. He hadn’t known the man for long, but he certainly had a healthy sense of humor.

Stiles moved towards the door as he glanced at his watch. “Ellis has a meeting in about an hour. I figured you three could chat a bit, figure out ways to make transitions smoother, figure out outfits, all that fun double stuff.” He opened the door and waved a bit as he left.

Lex rolled his eyes and sunk his face in his hands. Griff politely patted his shoulder. Both had seen the covert wink Stiles had done as he slipped out. Lex knew the man well enough that he was joking but seriously, Griff may have given him a weird sort of type but he wasn’t going to sleep with any double he found. Even if maybe a tiny bit of him found him hot because of how much he and Griff looked alike. Yeah no, he was definitely a narcissist no matter what he tried to tell himself and Stiles pulling this kind of shit certainly didn’t help.

Dean looked confusedly between the two. He must have missed something. “Is this standard or is Stiles… being Stiles again?”

Lex laughed at how Dean was catching on. “We do need to talk about that, but yeah, Stiles.” He gestured futilely at the door. “As your bodyguard he’s supposed to be part of that talk but he probably also wants a break.” Totally, not because he wanted to be an ass. He better thank Lex next time for covering for him.

Griff settled back onto the couch, speaking up. “He trusts us well enough to figure it out and just tell him later.” Lex took the seat next to him again, though stuck to his side of the couch this time. Griff was fairly positive Stiles was off to spread rumors of their found triplet to at least Terri, if not also Joshua and Jackson. He could only guess what sort of teasing they would come back with.

Dean sat in the chair across from them as they began the planning stages. They were both very easy to talk to once he got over how much they sounded alike, and like him. In fact the more time he spent the easier it was to tell them apart. Their way of speaking and gesturing were very different, Griff being much more sedate than Lex. Again that odd teasing by Stiles was brought up in his head as they slowly drifted closer together on the couch as the hour wore on. They certainly were comfortable enough around each other, but any friend was like that.

“Luckily we’re the same size, so when we switch out we can just change clothes and whoever you change with can pretend to be you while you pretend to be them.” Dean nodded, tuning back into the conversation. If Stiles was an example, they would just tell him what to do when the time came anyway.

Dean did interrupt, pointing to the side of his face. “I think the sideburns are a bit obvious of a difference though.”

Lex shook his head sharply, and Griff shook his too in agreement. “Nope not gonna happen. Keeping these babies for as long as possible.” Lex kept his hands away from his face, even though he really wanted to cover them protectively. He did like them for fashion reasons, but Griff’s touches certainly made him like them even more.

There was a knock at the door, interrupting anything else Dean had to say about them, and Stiles poked his head in. “Time for your meeting.” 

Dean glanced at his watch in confirmation and stood up with a sigh. “Time for the boring part you mean.” He straightened his jacket and shirt, shouldering his bag. “At least this should jump start the company again.” He tilted his head to the other two as he walked towards his bodyguard. “See you on the other side.”

Lex waved as they left, turning to Griff, his eyebrows slowly raising. “That was weird. Finding you was already bucking the statistical curve, but another one?”

Griff couldn’t help the grin and patted Lex’s knee. “I guess you’re just lucky.”

Lex rolled his eyes and caved into his need to touch, leaning shoulder to shoulder. “One of you is bad enough, now I have to deal with two.”

Griff laughed. “How do you know I won’t have to deal with two of _you_? He is head of a technical company.”

Shaking his head, Lex let his fingers find Griff’s. “He was clearly more business-like, very professional. Very you.” He nodded sagely. “I’m the one who’ll suffer.”

“Because you suffer so much every day in my company.” Griff rolled his eyes and leaned to leave a soft kiss on his cheek. “We do need to actually find out particulars about where he’s going next and the rest of his schedule. He kind of let us do all the talking.”

Sighing, Lex stole a last kiss before standing up. “Yeah yeah, time to actually work.”


	2. All To Myself

Dean was so very bored in the meeting. There was already a series of these planned as it wasn’t just him selling his product but possible business deals in the future. He was present because he was the owner and had the true final say on any deal that went through, but his business manager was out here too. He’d worry more about him, but he was the figurehead and him missing would throw the company into another near dive of stock prices if not just kill it. When his dad had passed, the company nearly went under just by people not trusting whoever might end up as CEO. The one in the will certainly wouldn’t do considering he had just… well had been his father’s murderer. Dean himself nearly didn’t fight for it, but something about his father finally struck home. The right man for the job would fight for the job, so he did. It was a drawn out legal battle but with what money dad had left him he paid lawyers and bickered with the right judge to have him properly inherit the company rather than let his father’s murderer profit.

Once he was instated as proper CEO their stocks had settled, but didn’t rise, not yet. Dean had to work hard into getting people to trust him as a good CEO and not just an upstart son who had been Head of Expended Resource Control and Distribution. He also had to bury the whole racing debacle under the rug, which lost him good friends. With that in mind though, he also put into place better tracking on just where their resources went. He was trying his best to do right by his dad, but this… It was lonely. He didn’t know how dad did it without mom. He supposed he had a friend, but that backfired too.

He glanced at his business manager when he realized he had been asked a question and got a quick nod, so he made some agreeable sort of noise, yes sure that sounds good. He tried to pull his head back into the meeting, but he couldn’t help but be worried. Over himself sure, he didn’t exactly want to die, but the company was the last vestige of his father and he wanted to keep it afloat. Now he had doubles to worry about, even if it was their job to keep him safe. Maybe it was the loneliness but he was already unhappy about putting his new bodyguard in trouble. He actually happened to enjoy the man’s company.

Finally people were beginning to get up and mingle, meaning the meeting was over. His business manager came over and did a quick overview, bless the man. The deal did sound nice, but they wouldn’t agree until they sat through another handful of meetings and then would go with the ones they felt best paid and flowed with the company. He was starting to miss sitting in his office reading paperwork, and that was saying something.

Dean worked himself through the crowd and towards the door, giving his goodbyes. He didn’t have another meeting today thankfully, but that did mean he was now his bodyguard’s problem until tomorrow. He stepped out and waved to Stiles, heading his way. “I’m done for the day.” He shrugged. “Where would be the easiest to keep me?”

Stiles let out a short laugh. “You’re probably the easiest person we’ve had to bodyguard. We have your hotel looked over and everything, so we could just head back? There’s tv or you and Lex could pick something up on the way over.”

“Lex?” He looked confused for a second before it cleared. “Ah, Griff is pretending to be me this time.” A spark of humor leaked into his eyes. “It’s the sideburns, isn’t it?”

That got Stiles laughing again as he lead him towards a different room, closer than the first. “Go change clothes, I’ll grab Lex.”

Dean headed into the room to find Griff waiting patiently. He gestured towards an enclosed space. “There’s an extra suit of mine in there. Once you change I’ll be borrowing your clothes to get to your hotel in.”

“Will do.” Dean ambled over and pulled the shade to, making it private. As promised a full suit was waiting and Dean grimaced slightly at it. He began to undress. “Do you have to dress so extremely formal?” His coats at least had something interesting about them, if he even wore one at all.

Griff rolled his eyes, even if Dean couldn’t see. “I was FBI before CIA. Formal became habit.” The army had also drilled into him proper posture and uniform. He shifted slightly, wondering idly if Lex found the coffee he had been angling for. They had agreed to be the rest of Dean’s bodyguards since Stiles would need to sleep at some point, which meant they were going to be mostly night shift. Or more properly, Lex was night shift since he had to play at being Dean and Stiles had to actually bodyguard him the rest of the time.

Dean stepped out, tugging fitfully on the tailored suit coat. It was one of his older, shorter ones that Lex didn’t like, but it fit Dean like it was made for him. Griff walked around him and nodded. “Passible. They aren’t looking for me so it doesn’t have to be perfect.” Griff took his turn in the alcove, putting on the clothes Dean had left. He felt a bit odd not buttoning his coat, but it’s how Dean wore it, so best keep his fashion the same.

He stepped out and gestured towards himself. It was Dean’s turn to do a quick walk around and he shook his head. “Not quite.” He reached out and fluffed Griff’s hair as best he could, trying to get it to do the same sort of swoop his did. He grimaced slightly. “Better. Does best if it air dries that way.”

Griff rolled his eyes and dug into the jacket pocket, producing a comb and reaching up to flatten Dean’s. “There, you’re more correct now too.”

Stiles opened the door as Griff pocketed the comb, stepping out of the way of Lex while he stared at the two. “You two change yet?”

Lex rolled his eyes and beelined to Griff, offering the extra coffee. “Here you go, just like you like it.”

“How do you know?” Stiles grumped a bit, obviously at least a little annoyed at not being able to tell at first.

Lex pointed at Dean. “I don’t let Griff out of the apartment in that coat anymore, plus his hair is still fighting the comb-down.” Also Griff’s face lit up in a soft smile when he entered, but he wasn’t going to point that out to Stiles. He did raise an eyebrow as he looked back at him, the supposed spy. “Also it’s not at all what Griff was in earlier?”

Dean wasn’t entirely sure how to take that they lived in the same apartment and that Lex had a say in just what Griff wore. He watched them banter a bit and couldn’t help the faint smile. Well, they were certainly happy and he couldn’t fault them that. He politely coughed, interrupting what had started to sound like a family squabble. “We could finish this discussion back at my place. Did anyone have a movie or food request before we arrive?”

“Have you seen the Marvel movies?” At Dean’s shake of his head, Lex brightened. 

Griff just smiled indulgently at Lex, knowing full well he was about to list as much marvel as he could fit in a breath. He sighed and shooed Stiles towards the door as he grabbed his clothes. “I think we lost any movie vote we might have had, so let’s head to the hotel.” He trusted Lex enough on takeout so whatever he got would likely be good.

Stiles shrugged and followed Griff’s lead, both of them heading out the door. Griff took a moment to wave at Lex to make sure he knew they were heading out. They just had to get back to Dean’s place and wait.

Lex waved in acknowledgement, talking to Dean about Marvel. Dean just nodded along, not entirely sure but superheroes weren’t bad, he’d give it a try. Lex was certainly enthusiastic enough about them, even if he tended to generalized action movies. They followed soon behind, Dean relaxing into Lex’s chatter. He was trying to keep up, but he had a long day and already had to listen to business deals. Lex at least didn’t expect him to memorize what he was saying, or even likely have an option at the end of all of it.

A hand brushed his shoulder softly as they got to the elevator and he looked at Lex curiously. Lex flinched. “Ah, sorry. Habit.” Which would have been enough of an explanation, except Lex looked exceptionally embarrassed.

“What’s wrong?” Dean reached out and pressed the button that Lex hadn’t yet.

He hadn’t done it on purpose, it was just an unconscious motion. Honestly Lex knew he was mentally making a bigger deal out of it than it was. “I can tell you apart, I swear, just…” He shrugged futility. “I fell into routine.” Really, he knew Griff wouldn’t care, it was an honest mistake, but somehow his brain was getting flustered about it.

Dean was getting steadily more confused. “...Okay.” He stepped into the elevator as it arrived, staring awkwardly at Lex who followed quickly. “It’s fine?”

Of course it was fine. Lex sighed and ran a hand down his face. “It is. Don’t worry about it.” He took a deep breath, calming down. Well that was special of a mental hiccup. To be fair, unless he stared at Dean there wasn’t too much difference once they were dressed the same. Griff was a touch older, he held himself a bit differently, but overall… They were all triplets at this point. What had gotten his mind in such a sudden uproar is that it had been a loving motion, not just an idle touch. He had reached for Griff and found Dean. Not that Dean knew that, and that was just fine.

Dean shrugged it off. He thought he had just been getting his attention. Obviously it was some sort of deal with Lex and Griff. He was seriously starting to suspect they actually were _together_ together. Stiles hadn’t been joking about PDA, just hassling them. So. Dean huffed a quiet sigh. They were keeping it professional enough he wasn’t going to complain. If anything he felt a tiny well of jealousy spring up. They at least had someone else.

He trailed quietly after Lex once the elevator opened, lost a bit in thought. His decision to take over the company had taken a toll on his personal life. His only friends had also been his partners in crime, and while he hadn’t turned them in he had to stop the thievery. They stopped speaking to him after that. He still liked his model planes, but with no one to fly them with it wasn’t as fun. He couldn’t even fully enjoy his car anymore, the handful of car acquaintances wanting very little to do with him without the fuel. He barely had girlfriend prospects before, and now nearly every waking moment was just more work. Even if his friends had somehow decided to still try and hang out, he wasn’t sure he’d of had time. Hell, while these business trips were boring, he had more free time now than back home.

Well, he did until this mess. He looked up at Lex as they approached the car. At least they weren’t trying to get him to talk business or anything, and were only there to guard. They were even almost treating it like a sleepover, which was honestly refreshing and a bit funny. As they settled into the car he spoke up. “So which movie was it you wanted to watch?”

Lex grinned back. “You said you hadn’t seen any, so I was figuring we’d start from the top! Iron Man.” He nudged Dean’s arm as he started the car. “CEO of a massive tech company who builds his own super suit.”

Dean couldn’t help an answering smile. “I hate heights.” He tapped his chin thoughtfully. “But I do like flying model planes.”

“Jesus don’t get me started on flying. I _hate_ airplanes. Got stuck on a hijacked one once with Stiles.” Lex aimed the car to the apartment, looking to pick up a small pile of movies. He wasn’t going to let Dean out of the Marvel marathon if he could help it. Plus his and Griff’s favorite place was on their street. “Just the idea of something going wrong miles high in the air? Ugh.” He dramatically shivered in his seat. “Nothing doing.”

Dean nodded enthusiastically. “Exactly! I hate it so much I drove here rather than fly.” He spared a thought for the car in the hotel parking lot. It was safe at the moment, and hoped whoever might be out to get him hadn’t touched it. He had rebuilt it himself after all.

Lex sighed, a touch jealous. “If only work would let me drive, but alas, you can’t drive across the ocean.” He looked over at Dean, catching the hint of worry. “We’ll check your car before you head back, promise. By then I think you’ll be okay anyway. Nothing like solidifying a company with business deals.”

“Thanks.” It was odd being so easily read, but considering how much he looked like the other two… But then again body language had nothing to do with body structure. And at the same time Lex was CIA trained. Whatever it was, Dean let it go. He liked the chatter he had going with the agent, finding it felt almost like a friend. God, he was lonely wasn’t he.

\--------

It didn’t take too much longer for Lex to snag the DVDs, plus his laptop, and then swing by this little hole in the wall pizza joint for a couple of basic pies. He wasn’t sure what people would want on them and they were damn good whatever he got. They got to the hotel in good order after that, the pizza still hot.

The conversation was fun and relaxed. He liked Dean, finding a lot of little things that made them alike, more than appearances. They weren’t the same type of tech person, but they could understand each other well enough in the little dips into shop talk they did. He might have been a nerd in his youth if he hadn’t been raised by a rich astronaut and therefore automatically part of the ‘cool’ kids clique. Lex was aiming to rectify that much at least. He mentally conceded to Griff on Dean being more like him, though he wasn’t going to admit that out loud.

They all tore into the pizza, everyone agreeing at how good it was. Lex did get a very short lecture from Stiles on how long it took for them to get there, but considering the pizza and the movies he also promptly forgave him.

Griff had since changed back into his normal clothes, and once the food was consumed so did Dean. With the more relaxed and playful air of food and movies, Dean could see the three’s friendship. He remembered what it was like to be able to work with friends, and hoped they were better than fair weather ones like his. They all consistently tried to include him, which he was grateful for, though Stiles refused to let up on the triplet teasing. Apparently word had gotten around back at base which spawned the term Grifflets, to Griff’s chagrin. Lex found it hilarious and used it more frequently than even Stiles.

“Hey, how’s tomorrow going to go down?” Stiles finally brought up between movies. He nudged Griff who was sitting next to him. “You three talked about it.”

Griff raised an eyebrow. “And you were _supposed_ to be in on that.” He was teasing though, and turned to the other two to make sure he was repeating right. “I’ll be staying up so you can sleep, and Lex will play double in the morning. After my round of sleep I’ll be joining you two at the conference and be the double on the drive back.” The other two nodded and he looked back at Stiles. “As technically the head of this operation, is that good?”

Stiles huffed in mock indignation. “I am head of the op, and yes that sounds fine.” He looked at his watch and blanched slightly. “And it’s late. You have a meeting at asscrack in the morning. We should probably adjourn and reconvene in the morning.” He clapped Griff on the shoulder as he headed to the connecting door. “Good luck staying up.”

Lex got up to follow, though hesitated at Griff. His eyes flicked to Dean, making sure he wasn’t looking. He stole a very quick kiss with a smile. “Goodnight and see you tomorrow.”

“Night.” Griff stood too, to give him the chance to let his hand linger on Lex’s arm. It sucked when they had to be in different rooms, but he was fairly certain he’d have difficulty staying awake with someone to sleep next to. Or Lex would have problems sleeping, depending. He dug out his phone and power cord as Dean continued to get ready for bed, setting up for a long time to read. Lex had set him up with a kindle account and a small pile of books.

Dean very quietly pretended not to notice the kiss or lingering touch. His suspicions were confirmed. He wasn’t upset, not really. There was a vague feeling of disappointment, but it also felt an awful lot like the jealousy borne of his loneliness he was unfortunately getting used to. It wasn’t really for either of them, but the idea of relationships as a whole.

He laid in one bed, watching Griff settle down in the other. He tried his best to get comfortable after turning out the light, but finding he wasn’t used to another person in the room. It wasn’t even the light from his phone. He sighed and rolled over onto his back. “How did you find each other?”

Griff looked up from the book he was reading to stare into the dark at the other bed. “You saw that, did you?” He couldn’t help the twitch of a smile, not hearing anything negative in his tone. ““While I was FBI, I had a case involving an ex girlfriend of his.” He glanced back down at his phone, not really looking at it. “He later saved me from…” He frowned, trying to find the right way to say it. “being wrongfully committed.” It was a very whitewashed answer but there wasn’t a need to go into detail, and if they started that path either Dean would request him not to be a bodyguard anymore, or they would be up all night explaining.

Dean sighed a bit. “I wish I had that kind of luck.” He rubbed at his eyes tiredly, though not quite sleepy yet.

Griff barked out a rough laugh. “No you don’t, I promise you that.” He looked back at the connecting door between the rooms with a small smile. “Though I won’t lie, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.” It was good Dean was okay with it, though he was still going to keep the touches to a minimum. Professionalism was still a thing no matter what people knew.

Rolling back to his side, Dean tried to get comfortable again. “Sounds like you two have it made.” He was finding it far too easy to be jealous when he literally could see himself in a relationship. It wasn’t fair to them, and he did like them as people. They were already getting to be good friends even if it wasn’t likely he would see them after this trip. He tried to smooth out his voice a bit. “I’m glad for you.”

Griff sighed, not sure at all what to say. Comfort was more Lex’s department than his, and everything he’d learned from Lex so far wouldn’t be professional or fair to Dean. He sorted through what he could say, but nothing really sounded right. “It’s hard not to sound like I’m just offering platitudes, but if it helps, I never thought I’d find someone either.” He shrugged helplessly. “Best I can do is say you can come visit, but that’s a hell of a drive for just saying hi.”

Dean huffed a faint laugh. “Thanks.” And he meant it too. It was obvious Griff was trying, even if it was an ‘impossible to find the right answer’ situation. He tried again to settle, finding it a little easier knowing Griff had offered friendship.


	3. Glimmer

Dean eventually slept, but he had a suspicion his bodyguard had better sleep than he did. Or was a bigger morning person than him. About two hours before his meeting Stiles busted in through the connecting door with a cheerful good morning. Dean sighed from the bed, wishing his alarm wasn’t currently so chipper. Griff twitched a grin, but he realized it was aimed at the door were Lex was half-slumped against the doorframe, glaring daggers at Stiles. It looked like Lex got the biggest wakeup of them all. He rolled out of bed and wandered his way to the bathroom with a yawn.

“Don’t take too long! We got to get you to that meeting on time!” Stiles called after, getting a door in his face for his troubles.

Lex snickered as he wandered over to the bed Griff was still sitting on. “I’m not the only one against mornings.” He sunk onto the bed, half-dozing. 

Griff lightly ruffled his hair. “We’ll get coffee when we get there.”

Lex half rolled to look up at Griff with a mild glare. “There shouldn’t be a ‘we’ part of that.”

“Someone has to drive Dean.” He gestured towards the bathroom door. “Otherwise how would I get to the conference halls later? I’ll come right back to sleep, promise.”

Stiles made vague gagging noises, which earned a glare from Lex and a laugh from Griff. “Ugh so syrupy sweet. Gross.” A small grin crossed Griff’s face before he leaned down and left a soft kiss on Lex’s cheek. Stiles threw up his hands to cover his face. “Nope! Not what I wanted to start my day with.” He scrubbed at his eyes. “Now that’s burned in.”

Lex sat back up with a laugh. “Good.” He grinned as Stiles sighed and dropped his hands, then stole a quick kiss while his guard was down.

“Augh.” Stiles sunk onto the other bed dramatically. “Not cool. I’ll…” He floundered a moment for a suitable threat. “I’ll kiss Terri in front of you if you keep doing that.”

He was met with twin eyebrow raises as Lex commented, “Hot.” The bathroom door opened, cutting off any more of their teasing, much to Stiles relief. 

Dean stepped out, half dressed in just slacks. “Lex, don’t I need to borrow your clothes this time?” He looked quizzically at Lex as he started to laugh.

Stiles rolled his eyes and sighed, heading to the door to the room. “When you three are done come get me.”

He left as Dean looked between them. “What?”

Lex shook his head, trying to tamp down his laughter. Griff rolled his eyes with a smile. “Don’t worry about it.” He gestured at Lex. “A dress shirt, tie and slacks do just fine.”

Lex finally got his laughter under control and looked over at Dean. A back part of his mind began the cataloging of similarities of his bare chest compared to Griff’s. He tried to jamb that into a corner. He tugged at his tie, having forgotten in his morning haze he needed to dress like Dean. “Yeah, here’s a tie to start.”

Dean took the tie but walked over to his suitcase, tugging out an appropriate outfit for the day and handing it to Lex. “Since we’ll change clothes when we get there, this is what I’ll be wearing.”

Lex took the stack of clothes with a nod, having found himself staring again. He quickly stood up and headed to the connecting door with a wave. “I’ll grab you a shirt, let me change.” He shut the door behind him, knowing he was probably blushing. He would very much like to have Griff to himself right about now.

A wash of confusion crossed Dean’s face and he looked over at Griff. “What just happened?”

Griff laughed. “We look alike.” He raised an eyebrow at Dean’s still curious look and gestured to Dean’s lack of shirt and his own chest. “Identical even.”

The confusion cleared with a faint blush. “Oh. _Oh_.” He felt a bit awkward and didn’t want to really make it that much more awkward with his newfound friend, but decided to ask anyway. “So… wouldn’t I also look like him?”

Griff nodded. “Yes, you do.” He shrugged, not really bothered quite like Lex. Sure it made him think of Lex, but he knew that Lex was a lot more… physical than he was. Dean likely reminded him enough of Griff that he wasn’t thinking his clearest. Not that he minded so terribly; he knew Lex’s heart was still in the right place at least.

Lex finally came back in, adjusting the coat with a sigh. He hated having to wear suit coats, but at least Dean’s were a little bit more comfortable than a normal one. He tossed Dean his shirt, who quickly put it on. Lex glanced at Griff at the speed and back at Dean, finally putting two and two together and blushing ever so slightly. He didn’t think he had been that noticeable but fine. He wouldn’t mention it if they didn’t.

Dean tucked in the shirt tails and easily put on the tie. It was the same as his own office attire essentially, but of course in these meetings he had to look just a little more impressive. He glanced at his watch and sighed. “I guess we have to get going. My meeting is in an hour and if we want coffee…” He gestured towards the door where presumably Stiles was still waiting.

\-----

It was an uneventful drive, and they met up to quickly change and snag coffee before Dean had to hurry off to the first of his meetings. He assumed Griff headed back for sleep as Stiles and Lex settled in at the door to the meeting room. He wondered a bit if it was as boring for them outside the door as it was inside, though spying Lex’s laptop bag he realized it probably wasn’t.

This group he was able to pay a little more attention to, though still listened to his manager’s summation for his opinion. He had to agree that he didn’t really want to get into anything possibly weapons related and keep to the same track his father had. Transportation and space. He might hate heights but he still enjoyed the idea of exploration to the stars. His father had nurtured that much into him. There was another meeting, but first a quick lunch.

Dean, Stiles and Lex settled on a small deli down the way, filled with good food and small chitchat, mostly about the movies from last night though Stiles did tease them a bit about their flight aversions. Lex and he did agree that they might be able to stand the Helicarrier if they were in the bowels of it without windows. Even then that really only assuaged Dean; Lex still hated _flying_ more than heights so knowing he would be in the air still bothered him.

The next meeting was much more obvious they wanted it for war, so Dean just tuned them out. His quick talk with his manager after just cemented his opinion and they both agreed a hard no on this offer. They were bad businessmen all around. They weren’t even trying to tempt him with more money or anything, not that he would have said yes anyway.

He met up again with his now three bodyguards, Griff looking much more well rested than he did that morning. He and Griff exchanged clothes and he split with Lex to follow Stiles and Griff’s car. They agreed before heading out that delivery would be best, and Stiles would meet the delivery person in the lobby. There were enough movies for the week with what Lex had brought so they didn’t even need to stop for that.

Lex seemed a touch skittish in the car, and Dean couldn’t help himself. He lightly patted him on the shoulder with a small grin, causing him to jump. “Personally, I don’t think I look _that_ much like him.” He tugged a bit on the coat, letting Lex bluster for a moment. “Back in the hotel room, Griff said I look like you.” While not exactly true, he had certainly agreed with him.

That sent Lex’s mind skittering off into a fun direction, which he tried his best to ignore. “Sorry. I guess bane of triplets?” He took a slow breath, since it sounded like it didn’t bother Dean.

Dean shrugged. “To be fair if I met a twin of the person I was with, I’d probably react the same.” He frowned ruefully. “Though depending on your definition of alone, I have.”

That got Lex to laugh, which had honestly been more Dean’s aim. “I don’t think you’re dating yourself, so you’re fine.” Lex looked over to see a smile that was definitely Dean and not Griff. Lex reached out to elbow Dean in retaliation when he had to suddenly yank the wheel and slam on his brakes.

Dean registered the noise first, his eyes on Lex. His brain didn’t really register sight, but the squeal of rubber and a crunch of something echoed in his ears. Their car skidded to a halt, his eyes finally focusing out his passenger window. Lex was already out and gone, running. Dean fought with his seatbelt, his mind narrowing focus on the simple, follow Lex.

It had been out of the corner of his eye, to fast to even yell, much less warn. Two car lengths ahead the light was green, but the cars were stopped. He barely registered he had stopped the car and parked it, already at the shine of crumpled silver he could barely see from here. His eyes tracked the crowd even in his panic, no one looked any more dangerous than usual.

He reached the wreck far faster than he was sure he normally could run. His eyes took in the two cars, the front destroyed beyond recognition and the passenger side… The passenger side! “GRIFF!” He pushed himself harder, those last few feet to nearly slam himself into the wreck. He tugged on the door he could reach, finding Stiles unconscious in the driver’s seat. He reached to check his pulse while looking past him, tears threatening.

Stiles was alive and a quick survey wasn’t badly injured. He carefully hefted him out, laying him near the car and under Dean’s watchful eye. He pointed, trying not to let his voice fail him. “Call 911 and check him.”

Dean immediately crouched and pulled out his phone, doing a quick check as best he could in the meantime. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but Stiles was breathing and didn’t look to be bleeding, and nothing moved particularly wrong. He stayed knelt by Stiles, but his eyes were on the car Lex was trying so desperately to climb into. The ambulance was on it’s way already, and Dean mentioned to the operator the accident might have been on purpose. Didn’t hurt to have cops just in case, right?

Lex crawled into the driver’s side, finally allowing himself to focus on Griff. He so wanted to just yank him out of there to safety, but instead carefully checked his vitals. Still with him, thank god. He very very carefully felt around his neck, nothing feeling loose or out of place. Good start. He tenderly checked the bleeding from his head, but it was slow and felt like shallow cuts rather than a broken skull. Might have a concussion and Lex hoped that was the worst of it.

He heard Dean call out that Stiles was awake, which was good news. If he was together enough he could go check on the other driver, the possible terrorist, like Lex was supposed to have done. Instead he was carefully running a hand along Griff’s chest, not feeling anything wrong yet. If it was internal though, that would be something the hospital would have to determine. He took a moment to take a deep breath. The most vital parts were whole, even if internal could mean touch and go. Griff’s pulse and breathing hadn’t changed yet, which Lex thought was a good sign.

Slowly he leaned Griff towards him, trying to extract him from the mangled car door. The passenger seat was almost half the size it had been, cramming Griff up against the center console. He reached around, lightly lifting his right arm over and across his chest, trying not to get a handful of glass in the process. Griff was covered in it, and was probably where the head wounds had come from. Something shifted wrong in the arm he had touched, and Griff’s breath came faster. Still unconscious, which was worrying with that much pain. With Griff a bit over Lex was able to lean down and look into the footwell. Nothing missing or punctured. He tried his best not to jostle him as he leaned down to feel along his legs. Right leg was oh so wrong.

A hand on his leg finally brought him back to awareness, and an authoritarian voice telling him to move. He looked back at the light blue uniform of a paramedic and scrambled to get out of the way. He didn’t go far, but now with nothing to focus on he could feel the panic welling up. He tamped it down and cast about for anything else, but found the driver of the other car unmoving, probably unbreathing since no one was attending him. Stiles was being fussed over by one of the paramedics, but he seemed well enough if a bit unsteady. Dean too was safe, which was the whole point of this exercise, wasn’t it?

He swallowed harshly, trying to keep himself together. He stepped to Dean to be the only functioning bodyguard, but meeting those worried amber eyes… He just couldn’t anymore. Hot tears slipped past his guard, angry and frightened all at once. He gestured vaguely in the direction of Stiles. “We need you to get to safety.”

Dean didn’t know the exact of anything going on, but in all honestly it read like a normal car accident. He stepped forward and carefully bundled Lex into his arms. There was nothing for Lex to do but crumple and cling to Dean’s coat. Griff’s coat. Dean watched over Lex’s shoulder as the paramedics hefted Griff onto a stretcher so he started to lead Lex towards the open ambulance. “Ride with him. He’ll need you.”

Lex quickly wiped his eyes, trying to get himself under control again. Dean was right, Griff needed him right now. Too many bad things had happened to him in a medical environment, and he would likely need his meds. Lex would call Terri when they got to the hospital, since it looked like they were forcing Stiles into an ambulance too. They shouldn’t leave Dean, he was the whole point, which what little he could hear was exactly what Stiles was arguing as the doors closed on him.

Dean sighed and walked over to Stiles. “Get in the ambulance, I will meet you there. Right now I’m still Griff, yes?” Stiles took a wobbly moment to look him over, but slowly nodded. “Good. We left our car running a few lengths back. I do know how to drive.” He lightly patted Stiles’ arm. “No stops and I’ll be careful.” Stiles seemed to acquiesce and got in the ambulance, and Dean was one hundred percent sure he wouldn’t have gotten away with that if he’d been any less addled. He got the name of the hospital from the paramedic and walked back to the car, which thankfully remained undisturbed.

He sat a long moment after shutting all the doors, trying to catch his breath. He carefully edged the car around, managing to turn it in a direction that was clear and he got the hospital directions on his phone. It all had been so fast, so sudden. And should have been him.

Dean shook himself slightly as he merged with traffic. He shouldn’t start that, he already had an idea of what they’d say. It’s their job to keep him safe. Right now though, he wished for Lex’s sake it had been him. Traffic was slow, so to distract himself he called back to base, a number they had given him in case of emergencies.

“Joshua.” A soft voice on the other end answered.

“This is Dean.” He figured considering their voices he should start with that. “There was an accident, Griff is…” He took a long breath and rattled off the hospital. “I don’t know his condition. Lex is with him and Stiles was concussed enough he let me drive myself there.”

He heard a soft but worried sigh on the other end. “We’ll be there soon. Be in the waiting room please.” There wasn’t even a moment to answer before the line was dead. Dean wasn’t the best judge of people, but Joshua certainly sounded upset. He would be in the waiting room only if they didn’t let him see the others.

Setting his phone down he concentrated his hardest on getting there quickly and without another accident.


	4. Good To You

Lex numbly clung to Griff’s left hand as the paramedic worked on his right. They said he wasn’t in immediate danger, but he was still badly hurt and had yet to wake up. Both the arm and leg were broken, but not as severely as they feared. He watched Griff’s chest rise and fall, trying to keep himself from shutting down. There was a reason he was always home base and not in the field. He might be able to hold himself together if he didn’t have to see the carnage in front of him.

This did prove to him though, that he probably shouldn’t be allowed on a real op with Griff. He botched the actual operation for saving his friends over anything else. He left Dean alone, he ignored the other driver, he barely checked the crowd. There was so much he had messed up and simply got lucky on. He hoped home base was more on the ball and doing research on the driver and that Stiles had a good eye on Dean.

Once they pulled in, he trailed after the cart until he was halted by a nurse with a clipboard who herded him towards the waiting room. He nearly tried to push past her, but common sense ended up prevailing. There was literally nothing he could do but stare in worry if he followed, even if he felt like he needed to be there.

She was kind and walked him through the paperwork needed. He followed along as best he could, though he couldn’t fully answer the insurance questions. That would be in Griff’s wallet currently in Griff’s pocket. No, actually it would be in Dean’s. Which he then had to explain to the nurse, showing her his badge. He was starting to steady himself, even though the worry was still eating at a corner of his mind. Work still needed to get done and he hated to feel useless just sitting here.

Thankfully, just as he was starting to get worried, work walked himself into the waiting room. The nurse did a small double-take at Dean, but instead politely waited as Lex got Griff’s wallet from him and presented the card. “My boss will probably want him moved back to base once you stabilize him.”

She nodded and headed to the nurses station to do whatever paperwork that was probably needed to get done. Lex took a long slow breath and turned back to Dean. “You okay?”

“I should be asking that.” Dean reached out and rested a hand on Lex’s shoulder. “How’s everyone?”

Lex shrugged helplessly. “Griff is in surgery, probably for the broken bones. They’re going to run a couple of scans too, to make sure nothing else is wrong once they make sure he’s stable.” He ran a hand through his hair, the sudden realization he had to wait and nothing to do making him nervous again. He realized there was another person to that everyone and looked around. “Where’s Stiles?”

Tugging on Lex’s arm, Dean lead him to a chair. “He was in an ambulance but mostly conscious. He’s fine, just addled enough to let me drive the car here.” He tried a twitch of a smile, but was sure Lex was far too worried for Griff at this point to share in the humor of it. He’d point it out to Lex in Stiles’ presence when everyone was better. He pointed to the chair. “Sit.”

Lex sat. He shivered on purpose, trying to get some of the nervousness out. It didn’t really help this time. Dean rubbed slowly at his back and offered out a hand, which Lex mindlessly took. He tried to take a deep breath. “When I checked him over, he only had a couple of broken bones.” _Only_ , god. He scrubbed at his face with his free hand. “The door was crumpled in. I didn’t feel anything broken in his chest and head, but I can’t feel organs.”

Dean nodded along. He honestly had no clue what he was doing, but he was trying his best. He continued to slowly rub Lex’s back. “I’m sure he’s fine. He’s made of tough stuff listening to you all talk.”

That got a small smile out of Lex. “Yeah, he’s been through a hell of a lot.” He squeezed Dean’s hand and looked down at it. So weird even now, especially since Dean wasn’t Griff, but with that coat sleeve there was practically no difference. Except he held his hand different somehow, which was weirdly reassuring and off-putting at the same time. He met Dean’s worried look and tried to offer a faint smile. “I know, I know. He’ll be fine. _We’ll_ be fine.”

A faintly somehow confused sounding cough had them both look up. “I…” Jackson huffed a slight sigh as he figured it out and offered his soft smile. “You must be Dean.” He looked to Lex as soon as Dean nodded in acknowledgement. “And how is Griff?”

Lex shook his head. “I don’t know.” He glanced around, catching sight of Joshua and Terri at the nurses station. They were probably badgering them for information. With friends like these, who needed family? “Glad you’re here.”

“We wouldn’t be anywhere else.” Jackson patted his shoulder as he sat down on his other side. Lex relaxed a little bit more. He was still worried sick for Griff, he wouldn’t ever stop worrying, but at least his closest people were here.

Dean also relaxed and stopped rubbing his back. He found, however, he couldn’t get his hand back. It wasn’t a death grip, he could probably pull away, but a tiny selfish part of him found it nice that Lex might actually need him. He looked up as two other people walked over with Stiles in tow. He could see the small lecture building in Stiles now that he was less groggy.

Terri crouched in front of Lex and patted his knee, ignoring Stiles for the most part. “They said Griff is stable. He’s still unconscious but because they put him under for the broken bones.” Lex heaved a sigh in relief. “The leg was an easy break, but the arm is compounded and needs surgery.”

“It was estimated an hour.” Joshua offered a soft smile. “I’ve made them promise to come get you when he is assigned a room.” He tilted his head to Dean. “And thank you for the call.”

“Welcome.” Dean nodded. “I figured he’d need someone that wasn’t supposed to be protected.” He couldn’t help the twitch of a smile in answer to Joshua’s. He couldn’t help the smile widen just a touch more as Stiles crossed his arms and tried to keep his mouth shut. They were worried over Griff, and he was certainly more important right now than an errant CEO.

Lex rolled his eyes and nudged him with his shoulder. “Thanks.” He glanced up at Stiles and then back at Dean. “You should have gone in the ambulance.”

Dean shook his head. “We left the car open and running, blocking most of the road. I figured you’d like to keep your car.” He had to extricate his hand to dig around in his pocket, offering out the keys to said vehicle, which Lex took. “I’m safely here.”

His hand felt almost empty when Dean pulled away, not that he needed it anymore. Lex tried not to take it again, instead listening to Stiles start up a lecture to Dean about being safe and not tricking their bodyguards. Which Dean hadn’t, Stiles was just that concussed at the time not to argue.

Lex couldn’t help but to keep glancing back at the nurses station. He was sure it would be a wait. He let the waiting room fade a bit as he zoned, glad to know that Griff would ultimately be okay. He was still hurt and would be waking up in a hospital, but Lex would try to be there when he did. He was there the last time, and he was planning on being there the next. 

His attention was brought back when Jackson tapped his knee. “I nearly forgot. I grabbed these from his desk, just in case.” 

“Thank you.” Lex took the offered pill bottle. Considering everything, Griff would probably need them. Too many things had happened to him with hospitals, though Lex would have to check with the nurses on mixing medications.

\------

The room was finally empty. Everyone had filtered through, making sure Griff looked fine after surgery even if he wasn’t even awake yet. All made sure to extract the promise that Lex would call as soon as he woke. Dean refused to leave, and therefore Stiles nearly refused, but Terri had talked him out of it and home to rest. Lex settled next to Griff’s left side, letting his fingers wind with his while he waited. It was just his firearm and shin, but the casts still looked terrible. The scattering of cuts across his face didn’t help either. He wasn’t going to leave Griff if he could help it.

He wasn’t sure he should have insisted so hard, but Dean was going to stay too. He sat in the other chair, wanting to be there for the two people who risked their life for him. He knew it was technically for their job and his importance, but he had honestly grown to like them as friends. He had long since shed the coat and tie, and fluffed up his hair a bit. Mostly for his comfort, but he was sure looking less like Griff helped Lex too.

The beginnings of movement from the bed got both their attentions and Lex was immediately up and leaning close, words tumbling out. “Hey, Griff. It’s me, Lex. You’re fine, you’re in the hospital. It’s Lex and Dean don’t worry.” 

Griff suddenly jerked awake, eyes bouncing between the two of them in panicked fear. It was only a second before his mind registered the words and he calmed, but in those few seconds he saw black-eyed twins. “Lex.” He reached out for his arm reflexively. “Glad you’re here.” The touch helped calm him a little bit more, and Lex shifted his hold to be more comfortable for the both of them. He took a slow deep breath, sorting through his haze. He hated being drugged, reminding him far too much of his time with Dana. Judging by his inability to move most of his right side though, it was probably a blessing. He blinked curiously at Dean, then back at Lex, recognizing the hole in his memory. “So what happened?”

Lex leaned forward and lightly kissed his forehead. “Car accident.” He paused and then swore slightly before turning to Dean. “Was it even aimed for you?”

Dean shrugged, palms up. “The guy looked like a normal driver and didn’t survive the crash. Nobody told me otherwise.” He was fairly sure it had just been a normal accident, but it was the reason they had switched places in the first place. He looked to Griff. “Is it just the accident you don’t remember?”

Griff thought a moment, sorting through his jumbled thoughts. “I think so. I half remember the drive but it wasn’t eventful. I don’t remember the other car at all.” He frowned at the sudden emptiness that was that space in time. He hated memory loss for much the same reason he hated being drugged.

Lex patted his arm. “Most of the time the memory comes back after a bit. You probably hit your head.” He twitched a smile. “At least that’s how it is for Stiles. Who I think hit his head harder.”

Griff tilted his head towards the casts ruefully. “I think he got the better deal.”

Dean quietly stood off to the side, letting them banter. They were honestly kind of cute to watch with the small things they had dropped up until now to be more professional. He hadn’t realized it completely since they had purposefully sat elsewhere when they were over watching movies with him. He glanced towards the door, but knew he was still technically under Lex’s watch. He wasn’t supposed to wander off without a bodyguard, but he wanted to give them privacy too.

Griff lightly nudged Lex and tilted his head towards Dean, who was looking vaguely uncomfortable. Lex rolled his eyes and gestured for him to come over. “Dean, relax.” He smiled down at Griff. “Dean here helped me calm down a bit. I think I might have been in tears by the time the others showed up if he hadn’t been there.”

Griff couldn’t help the soft smile in return. He wasn’t happy to know he hurt him, but it was nice to know he was that loved. He squeezed Lex’s hand as he looked over to Dean, the smile not quite gone. “Anyone who can calm him down must be a saint.”

“If it takes a saint, then you must be an angel.” Dean couldn’t hide the smirk at Lex’s eye roll as Griff broke out into a laugh. He knew it was a stupid line, but he was right, they had that type of humor.

Griff elbowed Lex with his free arm. “I like him, he’s funny.” He settled, much more relaxed, into his hospital bed. He still hated it there, but it was nice having friends. “Can I go home yet?”

Lex crossed his arms dramatically. “I’m not sure I want you home. Stay here with him since you like him so much.” He couldn’t keep the fake pout up and broke into a grin. “Ah, who am I kidding? I think we both like him.”

Dean wasn’t entirely sure how to take that, but he did settle into the chair near the bed he had been sitting in. “Thanks? I think.”

Griff barked another laugh. “You think? Sounds about right.” He looked to Lex. “I think you made him nervous.”

“Hope not. At the very least he has to deal with us for the duration of his stay.” Lex let himself fall into the other chair, knowing they probably wouldn’t be moving soon. “Probably will have to deal with us a lot longer I imagine.”

Dean couldn’t help the genuine smile cross his face. “Thank you.” He wasn’t sure they understood quite how lonely he’d been up until now, but knowing they might want to even just call him later was uplifting. Maybe their friendship would be a bit more than fair weather since it wasn’t based on stealing from his father’s company. It was only based on them risking their life for him. Which was a terrible reason, but he was oddly glad for it.

“For what?” Lex gave Dean a quizzical look over the thanks. He wasn’t sure if it was the bodyguard thing or what.

“You’re welcome.” Griff, who had been rather lonely before Lex, understood what Dean meant. He offered a small smile of his own. “Lex has a tendency to befriend anything that moves, but I agree this time.” He reached out to lightly pat Lex’s hair. “He’s a good friend-finder.”

Lex narrowed his eyes at being patted like a dog. “Don’t know if I’m _good_ , I did find you after all.” He snagged the errant hand to deposit a kiss with a smirk. “Which makes me the _best_ friend-finder.”

Dean couldn’t help his growing grin. He was glad to have friends, much less ones to banter with, even if it was them including him on their normal conversations. At least he assumed they did this normally. He couldn’t help but idly wonder how much a DC apartment was worth exactly, and if business could be conducted across the entire country. Probably not.


	5. Beside You

It took a week before Griff was finally allowed to go home with Lex. In the meantime they had agreed to a futon in the living room of the apartment for Dean, if only to continue to say Dean was the one in the hospital and Griff going home every night. Dean wasn’t going to even pretend to argue, enjoying going to a place that felt like a home rather than the hotel room. Dean, once he remembered to call his business manager, had the man do all the meetings for him and catch him up later at the hospital in Griff’s room. From the discussions and everything there wasn’t much to the meetings, though a couple did show promise. Griff and Lex seemed to doze off as he and his manager went into the nitty-gritty of business, setting up how they wanted deals to properly go down. In the end he had backing for a couple of projects which would set the company up with funding for a long time to come, doubly so if they could deliver what was promised. Dean was confident they could.

Because of the car accident, Dean had to ‘unfortunately’ pretend to stay. He had initially been a bit awkward around the two, finding a sort of niche in their life. Lex and Griff were perfectly fine to let him do so, plus the extra pair of hands were great with only half of Griff’s body properly functioning. It was, however, slowly driving Griff up a wall. Aside from the fact he couldn’t simply _do_ things or go anywhere easily, he was now trapped in an apartment with two people who happened to like musicals. Lex at least set him up with some headphones and a book in the bedroom when they watched them. He didn’t particularly _hate_ them, but there was only so many in a row he could watch.

It hadn’t been far into the first day of Griff back home when Lex nervously stepped out of the bedroom. “Hey, uh, Dean?” He gestured vaguely back towards the bedroom when he looked up at him from the couch. “Could you help? His casts need to be covered in plastic and it’s difficult without another set of hands.”

“Sure.” Dean got up and followed Lex back towards the bedroom, not really thinking what was asked, just that so far he had realized he needed to be Griff’s literal right hand man. It was the least he could do for crashing in their apartment for the next few weeks as he was pretending to heal and Griff was actually the one healing.

Dean stopped in the doorway as Lex started to hassle Griff’s shirt off. “Uh.” He quickly replayed the question and spied the plastic wrap on the bed. Right, right. The casts couldn’t get wet and so needed to be covered, and the only place for wet was the bath. He was starting to rethink his help.

Lex rolled his eyes and gestured for Dean to come over. “It’s easier to not mess up the plastic if his shirt is off.” 

Griff winced at the jostle to his arm and waved tiredly at Lex to back up a bit and slow down. He did want a bath after the hospital, sure, but hadn’t banked on how complicated this whole thing was. He rubbed a bit at the edge of the cast, the best he could do for the twinge of pain. “It’s also easier on me.” He offered a sympathetic smile, even then. “If you don’t want to…”

Sighing, Dean stepped forward. He hadn’t had the occasion to take care of anyone, but he was fairly certain Lex was unintentionally being a bit rough without another hand to help steady and guide the cast itself. “I’m fine, I’ll help.” He glanced down at the leg cast as Lex helped Griff stand, and couldn’t help the faint blush even after his second agreement.

Lex grinned and elbowed his side. “I know right?” He exaggerated the teasing on purpose. “He does that to me too.”

That earned a narrow glare from Griff and a swat to his shoulder. “Don’t run off the help.” He looked to Dean as Lex worked on getting his pants off. “I’m not completely stripping, just enough so I hurt less later.”

Dean nodded, though still kept his eyes up at Griff’s until he could pull himself together. He didn’t generally strip down with other people, much less other guys. Gym was a decade ago and even then it felt weird and awkward. He turned to busy himself with the plastic, trying to think of the best way to go about it.

Griff heaved a sigh as he sat back down on the bed, Lex carefully working the pants leg off from around the cast. Another twinge of pain, and he was starting to wonder if his aversion to pills was worth it. At the same time he knew his normal meds and the pain meds weren’t recommended at the same time, and he’d rather be sane than a little loopy, albeit pain free.

When Lex was done, Dean gestured to the bed. “Could you sit next to him and hold his arm out? I think I can wrap it just fine, but I don’t want to bump the cast by accident.” He was going to try and get through this professionally and reduce the amount of teasing he’d get. He could already see a touch of mirth in Lex’s eyes, which wasn’t helping.

Lex did at least sit properly, holding up Griff’s arm at the elbow to help reduce the amount of work Griff needed to do. Dean took the wrap and started above the cast on Griff’s skin, trying to make sure water wouldn’t get in. “This won’t be water-proof, so don’t submerge them, but it should keep the water spray off of them.” He wound the wrap around the cast, making sure it overlapped. When he got to Griff’s fingers he winced a bit. “Going to have to cover your hand.”

Griff nodded and closed his fingers into a loose fist, which made the wrapping easier. As he wound the plastic back up Griff’s arm, Dean found he couldn’t help his eyes skipping to the rest of Griff’s body. It was more curiosity than anything, even knowing full well they were identical. He tore off the end, lightly pressing the plastic down in hopes it would stick like it was supposed to. 

He finally looked down at the leg cast and realized something. He couldn’t help the creeping blush again as he knelt by Griff’s leg, starting the wrap just below his knee. There wasn’t anything untoward at all, but the boxers were now at eye level. He could hear Lex’s grin, he was positive. When the wrap got low enough he braved looking up at Lex since he had to ask him to hold it up anyway. Yup, Lex was grinning widely though keeping his mouth shut.

“Could you hold his leg up while I wrap his foot?” Lex nodded in reply and carefully helped heft the leg up. Griff winced at the movement, but continued to watch Dean wrap his leg. Dean was acutely aware now of both sets of eyes on him, even though he was fairly sure they had been watching the whole time. He took a slow breath for himself. He needed to pull himself together if he was going to help. This was likely going to be a daily thing, or at least frequently, and he didn’t want to put undue stress on Griff’s injuries. He carefully had Lex set Griff’s leg on the ground as he wound the last bit up the calf.

He lightly patted the spot where the plastic ended before getting himself off the floor. He felt another awkward feeling coming on, so he shunted it aside with the humor he had learned from the other two. “I’m not helping in the bathroom.”

Lex laughed as he carefully helped Griff stand. “I know, I know.” He grinned and shooed him towards the door. “Underwear time now, so out you go.”

Griff shook his head and smacked at Lex again, though it was softened by the smile he had. Dean left quickly as Lex’s hands were already touching hips. He was sure Lex would have waited but he wasn’t sure he wanted to find out otherwise.

Lex did wait until the door was shut before shucking off Griff’s underwear. He liked to tease but he wasn’t going to do it at Griff’s expense. He helped Griff sit back down and very slowly and carefully worked the boxers off his legs. “You doing okay?”

Griff shrugged slightly, trying to not wince again at the movement. It was not fun. “Well enough.” He did twitch a smile and tilted his head towards the door. “Didn’t you warn him?”

“I asked him for help with the plastic wrap, what else could I mean?” Lex helped Griff up, this time acting as a crutch as they slowly worked their way towards the bathroom.

Griff laughed at that, even while in pain for the walk. He hoped Dean was up for all this, they’d certainly need the help. Now just to keep Lex from teasing the poor guy out of the apartment.

\--------------

Food was the next hardest thing to get done. Griff much prefered home cooking to take out, and Lex had to be honest, he had grown to like it too. He was at least okay with it if they could, but after a few days Griff insisted. Lex had certainly tried, and it was okay. But just okay. He had followed the instructions, he swore so up and down, but all three generally agreed maybe Dean should try next.

Which was how Dean found himself in the kitchen with Griff calling things from the table where he sat. He wasn’t likely as good a chef as Lex was purporting Griff to be, but Dean did cook for himself at times. When your dad left you well enough alone you made friends with the staff, which meant he was taught to cook fairly young. He listened to Griff, but made sure to season to taste and not exactly to the measurements Griff was saying. At this point having listened to Griff and Lex argue over vague directions like ‘dusting’ or ‘just some salt’, he knew that the measurements were just his best guess.

He was also better at juggling different dishes at the same time, so it also took him far less time to make the meal. Spaghetti with meatballs and a side of cheesy garlic toast. Easy yet complicated. After they ate the meal he found himself voted permanent chef until Griff was healed.

He didn’t mind the appointment, he enjoyed cooking. He didn’t get to do it often for fun, especially once his dad realized he wouldn’t be following in his footsteps. Planes were one thing, flying something entirely different. His dad hadn’t cut him off exactly, but being relegated to taking out the trash and pushed into some small neighborhood wasn’t exactly supportive either, especially in the echelon he had been raised in.

Oh he distinctly knew what his dad did was above and beyond most parents, but it was the spirit of the actions more than the actual support. He had an unfortunate feeling if he hadn’t been a son he might have been pushed on some poor guy once he had ‘decided’ he didn’t like flying. He was pretty sure his dad was rolling over in his grave if he knew he was spending inordinate amounts of time with two other men, even if they weren’t actually _doing_ anything.

\-------------

With all the physical help and hassle, it was still somehow surprising to Dean when he found himself a few weeks later with a dozing Lex on one shoulder while watching a crime drama they had all managed to agree on. He looked over him at Griff, who just shrugged in return. “He gets like that after awhile.”

Dean was a hundred percent positive that Lex would _not_ do this to Stiles, even if they were crammed on a small couch. “I think you’re biased.”

Griff twitched a grin. “Might be.” He stretched his good arm up on the back of the couch, giving Lex a little more room to sprawl in his nap. He pointed towards Dean’s arm of the couch. “Could you put that on him?”

Dean looked at the armrest and then to Lex who was still weighing down his shoulder, and back up to Griff with an eyebrow raise. “How?” Even with the question he was already trying to carefully wedge the blanket out from under himself without jostling Lex. He’d been playing Griff’s arms for too long. “When do you get those off anyway?”

Griff offered the tips of his fingers so he could snag the edge of the blanket, making Dean’s job of placing it over Lex easier. “My leg next week, arm probably another week out.” The blanket seemed to ease Lex into a deeper sleep, his breathing smoothing out as he somehow managed to snuggle a little closer. His arm was a more complicated break than his leg, so the doctors had said more time was needed. It was his hope not as long but they’d see.

The snuggling wasn’t nearly as awkward as Dean would have thought as Lex’s warmth was comforting. He couldn’t help the slight frown at the week due date. While a bit happy Griff would be able to at least walk on his own again, it would also mean he would probably have to go back home. His manager was doing fairly well in his absence, but the company needed it’s CEO. If ‘his’ leg was mended it meant he could go on a plane a lot easier.

Griff sighed, letting his fingers play with the back of Lex’s hair. “You won’t have to wait on me for much longer.”

Dean shook his head. “I don’t mind. I…” He twitched a rueful smile, feeling a little embarrassed at the admission. “I don’t really want to leave.” He shifted slightly, leaning his head back against the couch. “Not to sound pathetic, but you two are pretty much my only friends.”

Griff huffed a small laugh and leaned closer to Lex, changing his reach to be able to lightly run his fingers into Dean’s hair. “We like you too.” He and Lex already had a handful of small whispered discussions before sleep. Dean was quickly becoming a good friend and unfortunately for Lex, sleep-Lex wasn’t known for keeping secrets. Griff wasn’t upset he thought Dean was attractive, especially considering it was because he looked just like him. As the days wore on, Griff too found himself with a bit of an interest. Maybe Lex was wearing off on him, but to be fair he found attractiveness in personalities more than physicalities so it always took time. Lex had charmed him and Dean was beginning to. He couldn’t help the slight smirk at himself. Maybe he was just attracted to his nurses.

Dean smiled a bit at the touch to his hair. Griff rarely touched by accident like Lex did, so he knew it had been with purpose. He carefully leaned into it, ending up resting on Lex, who was still on his shoulder. He did have to wonder now if maybe some of Lex’s accidents had actually been on purpose. He was unintentionally skittish about touch, so Lex’s apologies might have been more a reaction than an actual explanation. His mother had passed when he was young, and his father never was big on ‘coddling’, so he had been left generally alone most of his life. Most of his friends through his life had been of the elite rich, where casual touches didn’t happen either. They were prim and proper, taught to be the right type of social yet distant. It was probably why he enjoyed Griff and Lex’s company so much. They were _actually_ friendly and meant it.

Griff couldn’t help his soft smile seeing Dean settle against Lex like that. He knew the other man had to leave soon, they couldn’t just kidnap the CEO that were protecting after all. It was part of the reason Griff and Lex’s talking hadn’t gotten past that. He did wonder a bit if the way those two looked was like how he and Lex looked when they snuggled on the couch. Probably, considering they really were triplets. He gave a mental sigh. Grifflets. Joshua liked his dad-level humor, and Lex did too. He adjusted the way he was sitting, curling around his side of Lex. While the healing arm and leg were the barest throb of pain now, he still had to be careful. A quick nap on the couch sounded nice, especially with his two favorite people.


	6. Shut Up And Kiss Me

It wasn’t until after Griff had finally gotten his leg cast off that he and Lex decided to at least say something to Dean before he left. They had debated back and forth about maybe saying something later, but it felt a bit like a last chance thing. None of them were sure when Dean would come back, and the clock was ticking down to his leaving.

It was after a decent lunch that Lex nervously approached Dean. “Um. I, uh, we have something to ask you.” It had been awhile since Lex was particularly nervous around him for anything in particular, so Dean was very curious. Lex took a deep breath and glanced to Griff, who had ended up behind him. Weird. Lex continued bumbling his way through his question. “I know we’re good friends now, and I kinda have a thing to admit too though it’s part of the ask, and I wasn’t sure exactly how to ask since we still want to be friends and it doesn’t have to change that at all if your answer is no-”

Griff rolled his eyes and frankly was glad Lex hadn’t tried to ask him verbally first. Apparently his first times were shy. He stepped forward into Dean’s space, though not crowding him, and interrupted Lex. “He wants to know if you want to have sex with us.”

Dean had been trying to follow Lex’s ramble, as it had somehow sounded like either a love confession or they were kicking him out. He froze however at Griff’s words. Oh. _Oh_. Uh. He stared at Lex, who had finally stopped talking and was waiting sheepishly for an answer. “I...” It wasn’t entirely from left field, he knew Lex had a maybe thing for him, but Griff… He turned to look behind him. He didn’t look upset, if anything maybe a little hopeful. “Uh.”

Griff very lightly placed his hand on Dean’s back. “Lex is right, if you say no it won’t change a thing.” He twitched a smile. “You already knew about Lex anyway.”

Dean slowly nodded, in an all around sort of answer. He hadn’t expected it, hadn’t tried to think about it. It had crossed his mind in passing but he thought it so far outside the realm of possibility he had immediately shoved it away. Actually faced with it though… It was a little overwhelming.

Lex carefully edged forward and touched his arm. “Hey Dean, you with us?” He was actually starting to look a little concerned, and Dean could feel Griff shift a bit behind him, his hand pressing a little stronger against his back. 

He finally managed an answer. “Yes.” He nodded a bit faster, a smile spreading across his face. “I… yes.” He wasn’t sure if he was good for more words quite yet, he was still trying to hold on to what they had asked.

Lex let out a long breath and grinned in reply, stepping forward to bundle Dean between him and Griff. “Good.” They held him a moment until his breathing seemed to even out. Lex hadn’t meant to shock the poor man like that. He apparently didn’t telegraph himself nearly as much as he thought he did. Lex leaned back a little once Dean seemed a little calmer. “Hey. Can I kiss you?”

Dean nodded again, acutely aware of both bodies pressed against him. Lex pressed his lips softly to his, letting him decide the pace. He really couldn’t help the slight shiver roll through him, and he could feel the huff of a laugh from Griff against his ear. His mind finally clicked properly into place. It was really real and really happening. One hand reached up and wound itself into Lex’s hair, the other drifting behind him to rest on Griff’s waist. He tried to pull them both just a little closer, relaxing into their arms.

“There you are.” Griff breathed into his ear, leaving a kiss in his wake. He let his good hand wrap around and tug Dean close against him. He had to admit, watching them kiss was amazingly hot. Lex broke the kiss to meet his eyes, and by the certain twist of his lips Griff knew he recognized the want in him.

Lex stepped back and tugged a little on a rather dazed looking Dean. “Let’s move this train elsewhere.” He turned and headed towards the bedroom, stopping at the doorway to look back at them and admire the picture they painted. One surprisingly blissed out, the other melting him with his stare. Really, what was it about twins?

Dean shook himself and snagged Griff’s good hand, quickly following Lex. He might be throwing himself into the deep end, but he wasn’t going to waste this chance, not with these two.

“Slow now, I just got my cast off, remember?” Griff lightly teased as he was pulled along. Dean slowed just a touch, but really only because he passed the doorway. 

He looked back to Griff with a smirk before moving him towards the edge of the bed. “If your leg is bothering you, sit.” Griff allowed himself to be sat, tugging Dean closer.

Lex stepped up behind him, running his hands along the bottom edge of his shirt, finding his fingers entwined with Griff’s. They both lifted up, though Griff couldn’t reach as high as Lex. Dean helped with the last bit, the shirt abandoned to the side. Lex wrapped his arms around Dean to lean into his ear. “You’re Griff’s arm, right? Help me with his clothes.”

Dean leaned forward to steal a soft kiss from Griff, feeling Lex’s fingers trail along his sides. He tugged lightly on Griff’s shirt, prompting him to lift his arms. The shirt was easily removed, only taking a little longer to work past his cast. Lex’s fingers in the meantime had worked open Dean’s pants buttons. So much for ‘helping’ take off Griff’s clothes, but he supposed Lex was helping all the same.

Griff reached up and tugged his face down to take a much more heated kiss from Dean’s lips. He pulled back with a small grin and twiched an eyebrow. He glanced at his cast and then behind Dean at Lex. Dean answered with a wide grin. He got the message. Dean stood and turned to regard Lex, who somehow had managed to stay fully dressed. He reached out and snagged Lex, tugging him between him and Griff. “If I’m Griff’s hands, I think he’d rather touch you than himself.” He liked being the center, but there was something about teasing Lex that was fun.

Lex laughed at being manhandled, finding his clothes quickly taken care of, shirt to the side and pants pooled on the floor. Dean took a kiss, opening for him. Lex deepened the kiss, even as Griff tugged his hips closer to him. Light kisses peppered his tailbone and ass as Griff’s hand began to stroke along his thigh. Dean took advantage of his distraction to run his hands along his chest, tracing planes he likely never felt before. That had Lex pause for a second, though the path of Griff’s hand was rather distracting. He pulled back and rested their foreheads together. “You good?”

Dean looked curiously at Lex, trying to parse his question. “More than good.” He lightly kissed Lex’s lips with a soft smile. He let his hands slide further down Lex’s sides, meeting Griff’s at his hip. “It’s where I want to be.”

“Good.” The response came from Griff as he used Lex to help himself stand. Lex gave a mild protest before he realized what he was doing and turned to help with his pants. Griff softly kissed him, forcing him to stop his movements to return it.

The softness between them made Dean feel for a moment like he was intruding. Lex must of had a second sense about him, because he reached out behind himself and snagged one of his belt loops without breaking the kiss. He tugged him closer into range of Griff’s good hand, who managed to tug the pants further off his hips. Lex broke the kiss with a grin, turning around to pull them the last bit off. “Kind of you to join our nakedness.” He tugged his hips forward, skin touching skin. Dean’s couldn’t help the tiny roll as he felt the heat settle hard against his own.

An arm insinuated itself between them and hauled Lex down into Griff’s lap, who had settled back on the bed in the meantime. He waved Dean closer with his cast, then seemed to think better of it. He pointed towards the nightstand. “Could you get the bottle from there?”

Dean watched Lex shiver at Griff’s words as he headed towards the drawer. It wasn’t hard to find. He considered the lube bottle for a moment, and couldn’t help his own tiny tremble in anticipation. He could hear small directions from Griff to Lex, and came back to find them arranged. Griff had moved forward and widened his stance, forcing Lex’s legs wider. He had also gotten him to scoot his hips forward just a little and hook his feet back around his for balance. His cast had Lex pinned down across his chest and Griff gestured Dean forward with his good hand, then pointed at the floor to where he wanted him. “I need your help.”

He couldn’t help the slow smile as he knelt down in front of the pair, his hands running up along Lex’s thighs. He looked up at the two, one already shivering and the other predatory, but both sets of eyes on him. He leaned forward to lightly ghost a kiss along an inner thigh. “What do you need me to do?”

Griff grinned as his good hand slid down to Lex’s balls, rolling them slightly as he lifted them. “Could you prep him for me?” He softly nipped at Lex’s neck, purposefully getting him to whimper softly.

Dean found himself with a choice. He honestly hadn’t done anything like this before, but knew the theory and could manage it if he was slow and careful. But that wasn’t as much fun considering the other option. He scooted a little closer and left another soft kiss closer along his thigh. “I’ve never done it before. I think you need to tell me how.”

Griff’s eyebrows slowly rose. While he had half expected Dean to not have done this, Lex and he certainly hadn’t before each other, he was surprised at first for the request. The resulting shiver from the man on his lap however, showed him why. He tilted his head and let his voice rumble into Lex’s ear, though loud enough for Dean to hear. “Pour the lube on your fingers to help warm it.”

Doing so, Dean looked up to Griff, waiting expectantly for the next direction. It wasn’t like he knew, but he found he wanted to hear him say it. Griff’s good hand readjusted his hold on Lex, running fingers just a little further underneath. “Rub slowly at first, then carefully press in with one finger.” His words earned a low moan from Lex before Dean had even touched him.

The rumble of words against his ear was driving Lex insane. And with the content of the words, he couldn’t help his noises. He wanted to move, but he wasn’t entirely sure how or to what end that wouldn’t ruin what he was listening to. He rocked his hips at Dean’s touch, half wishing Griff had not specified slow. The hardness pressed against his lower back had him grinning slightly and he rocked his hips back against Griff’s dick, but found his roll forward met Dean’s slow press. His hips stuttered again, losing the rhythm that had barely begun. Dean stopped moving when his finger was inside. Cruel.

Lex watched Dean’s admiration as his eyes wandered his body before meeting Griff’s over his shoulder again. “Now what?” Lex could see that tiny twitch of a grin. Now that wasn’t fair.

Griff grinned at what Dean was doing, purposely waiting just a second longer before answering. He could feel the impatient shift from Lex. “Move. Make sure he’s coated inside.” 

Dean complied, carefully sliding out to apply just a little more lube before pushing back in. Lex met Dean’s finger with a push of his hips, sliding them back against Griff with the return movement. They were slow strokes, Dean feeling out Lex’s body and movement. He was fascinated by the way Lex’s dick twitched at each slow thrust. He looked up to Griff, then back down a bit pointedly.

“Two fingers now.” Griff nodded slowly, Lex not really noticing the non-verbal part of their conversation. Dean followed the instructions first, very carefully stretching him for his second finger. 

Lex stopped his roll to relish the feeling. He sighed softly and closed his eyes as Dean pushed all the way in, holding his position deep to let him get used to two. A sudden, wet warmth wrapped around his dick caused him to jump slightly, Dean’s fingers shifting inside. His hands, which he had been good at keeping out of the area, buried themselves into Dean’s hair. He couldn’t help the long whimpering moan as Dean slowly put more of him in his mouth. He canted his hips back against Griff as Dean started to move his fingers. He kept his mouth still, which Lex wasn’t sure he was thankful for yet or not. Dean did apparently figure out he could move his tongue though, and Lex shivered at the pressing movement against the underside of his dick. He was disappointingly glad that he hadn’t figured on talking yet; the vibrations just might take him too far too soon.

Griff lightly tapped Dean’s shoulder, getting him to look up at him. His words were lost for a moment at the sight of his lips around Lex’s cock. It was his turn to unconsciously shift his hips against Lex’s ass. He managed a, “Three,” before trailing his fingers along any skin of Dean’s he could reach.

Dean shifted, pulling off Lex’s dick until just the edge was resting inside his lips. He carefully pressed a third finger to join the first two, lightly letting his tongue skate across his tip. Lex’s fingers tightened in Dean’s hair, finally having to speak. “Off, before I come too soon.”

A wide grin crossed Dean’s face as he leaned back, listening to Lex. “Can’t have that.” He slowly finished his stroke inside, resting the three deep. He was pleased with himself a bit, going from knowing technically nothing to making Lex feel that good. And judging by the way Griff was staring down at him, him too. He slowly moved, feeling Lex grip his fingers. He wasn’t going to lie, he wanted to feel that same grip around his dick.

Griff watched the want grow on Dean’s face and he nodded to himself. “Lex, how are you feeling?”

“Very good.” Lex shivered at Dean’s slow movements inside with a soft moan. “I’m ready for whatever you want.”

Griff lightly kissed along Lex’s neck, letting Dean move his fingers a few more times before interrupting him. “Dean, could you stand?” Griff relished each little tremble that Lex gave as Dean removed himself and stood, looking curiously down at the pair. Griff leaned into Lex’s ear, knowing his eyes were on the same thing his was. “Do you want him?”

Dean flushed red under the scrutiny, the question making his dick twitch in anticipation. Lex’s now familiar grin spread across his face and he held out a hand. “Lube please.” Dean easily handed it over.

Lex reached out and tugged Dean a little closer to leave a quick kiss on the tip, making it twitch again. He carefully put lube in hand, though found Griff’s had wound it’s way beside his. He put a little in Griff’s as well, pulling Dean even closer so Griff could reach. They both wrapped their hands around him, moved to coat as best as they could.

Dean reached out and used Lex’s shoulders as balance, the unsynchronised strokes making his knees feel weak. He wanted to move with them, but there was no matching rhythm between the two. He shifted a hand to rest on theirs, stopping them before he got too far. He took a slightly shaky breath before Lex pulled him close for a kiss.

Lex carefully stood, keeping his mouth on Dean’s, deepening the kiss when Dean let him. He could hear Griff shift behind him, probably scooting back to sit on the bed properly for a more comfortable view. Not that Lex would let him just watch. He turned around with a quick grin to Dean and leaned over to kiss Griff in turn. He hadn’t moved back as far as Lex had thought, but enough to get the pressure off his leg at least.

Dean let his hands run over the curve presented to him, his thumb finding its way to what he had prepared. He earned a soft tremble at the stroke of his entrance. Carefully aligning himself, he began to press in. His soft groan of pleasure was nearly lost under Lex’s, who had his arms wrapped around Griff’s shoulders for support. He was so tight and felt so very wonderful around him. He found himself having to take a moment once he was fully in, getting both he and Lex used to the size.

Griff grinned at the sounds whimpered into his ear, his eyes on the expressions crossing Lex’s face. He kissed the edge of Lex’s mouth, petting along his arm and shoulder. He ran his fingers through Lex’s hair, guiding his lips to his again, invading his mouth.

Lex couldn’t help another moan at the feeling, his tongue tangling with Griff’s. It gave him an idea, though he had to wonder if Griff hadn’t already thought about it. He broke the kiss, peppering new ones down the side of his neck and along his chest. He had to step back a bit, which caused an echoing shudder between both of them as Dean was pushed just a little further in. Dean’s fingers dug into his hips as he slipped further down the front of Griff, finally reaching his goal. He softly kissed the side of Griff’s erection, his arms resting easily on the bed rather than Griff’s legs, which was where they’d have been if Griff had stayed perched on the edge. He trailed kisses along to the tip, certain now that this had been Griff’s plan all along.

Griff hadn’t necessarily planned anything, but he had thought of the possibility. He was mostly healed, but trying to hold Lex’s weight on his legs even longer sounded painful. He trailed his fingers along his shoulders as he kissed, digging in slightly as Lex took him in his mouth. He always felt so good, his tongue finding just the right spot. His eyes flicked up to meet Dean’s, who was staring. He grinned and gestured. “Move.”

Dean hadn’t meant to stop entirely, but watching Lex in Griff’s lap was amazingly hot. He followed the instruction given. His first stroke was slow, relishing every bit of him. He realized quickly by Griff’s expression that Lex was mimicking his movement, which sent another thrill through him. He sped up incrementally, letting his hands pet along his spine and sides. He watched Griff’s fingers wind into Lex’s hair, soft noises escaping both of them.

Lex couldn’t help the moan at Griff’s hand in his hair. There was also something about being filled from both ends that ramped up the heat building in him. He shifted his hips to a different angle, angling Dean to rub against his prostrate. Now each new stroke sent a shivering spark through him, eliciting a groan to echo down through Griff. They had been light on the sex lately because of the roommate and noise, so Lex was sure he wouldn’t last much longer, even untouched.

Trembling, Griff tried his best not to accidentally grip Lex’s hair too hard. He was close, and recognized that look of deep concentration on Dean’s face. Lex couldn’t speak for himself, so Griff had to. “Dean. Faster.”

Dean had been focusing on the building swell of feeling, the rolling pleasure slowly building. The way Lex’s hips felt in his hands and the way his muscles tightened every time he thrust. Griff’s words had him moving faster without even thinking about it, a thrill of pleasure at the words. He pushed harder, he could feel himself so very close. Griff curled against Lex’s back, letting out a long, deep moan that made it harder for Dean to last much longer. He leaned forward, pulling Lex closer, his thrusts quick and shallow as he worked his hand underneath them.

Lex moved with Dean, taking as much of Griff as he could at each push forward. He could feel him close, body wrapping around his. He backed off just enough to be able to take all of it, swallowing a matching groan to the one he felt against his back. He kept his mouth on Griff as Dean shifted his pace to a maddening tempo, his hand finding Lex’s shaft. He didn’t have to move his hand much, Lex’s own hips rocking forward with each of Dean’s pushes. Lex whimpered around Griff’s over-sensitive flesh and pushed back hard against Dean.

The combination of heat dripping along his hand and the deep, rolling spasms had Dean following Lex quickly, pressing back into Lex as much as he was pushing against him. He kept his arms tight against Lex, keeping him in place as he relished every pulse of muscle tight around him. A hand lightly brushed through his hair, and he looked up to meet a satisfied smile, likely a match to his own. He lightly kissed the back he was leaning against, Griff mimicking his motion. Lex trembled under them, a slightly mumbled something making it Griff’s turn to shiver.

Still being filled felt wonderful, but his back was finally beginning to protest it’s position without the endorphins running through his system. Lex pushed up a bit, extricating himself from Griff’s lap. He kissed him softly along the way, unable to help the soft noise against Griff’s lips as Dean slowly pulled himself out. Kisses were left along his spine, setting fire to his sensitive nerves.

Griff kissed back, finding the hint of himself on Lex’s lips just as enticing as it was the first time. Even though he was already spent he wanted to claim him as his again. He eyed Dean over Lex’s shoulder, half a mind wanting to do the same to him. Not that his leg or arm would let him right now. He sighed softly and stole another kiss. “Lex, could you get a towel?”

Lex’s brows wrinkled in confusion for a moment before he remembered the cast. No quick and easy shower like always. “Sure, be right back.” He turned and gave a quick kiss to Dean on his way to the bathroom to grab whatever towel was dirty. He frowned at it, then grabbed a couple of washcloths and wet them instead. He used one on himself and left it in the sink, bringing the others back.

Carefully standing up, Griff worked his way to his side of the bed to settle back down. He looked to Dean and gestured to the empty space next to him. “Come here.”

Dean crawled his way up the bed, careful to lie on his back as he curled up next to Griff. His mouth was quickly occupied by Griff’s, and he lost himself to the soft play of their lips. The feeling was interrupted suddenly by a cool wet thing landing on his chest.

“Don’t start round two without me!” Lex grinned and tossed the other washcloth on Griff. He wedged himself on the bed, trapping Dean between them and stealing his own kiss from his lips. “It’s someone else’s turn to be in the middle.”

Griff took a quick kiss from Lex before turning back to Dean, deepening the kiss as they went on. Lex watched, his body trying valiantly to get hard again, no matter how soon he had just orgasmed. He stole the washcloth while Dean was distracted and carefully cleaned him off. His hips twitched against his presses, likely the rough cloth lending an interesting sensation to the soft drags across his skin. He tossed that off the end of the bed when he was done, letting Dean distract Griff in turn as he stole his washcloth to clean. To be fair in both their cases their arms were trapped, though he was pretty sure body weight was more fun than a cast. He scooted down, freeing Dean’s arm and laying his head on his chest. They needed a moment to recover, so in the meantime he’d get snuggles. 

Dean let his fingers comb through Lex’s hair as Griff broke their kiss to sink back against the pillows. Griff’s cast ended up settling across Lex’s side, the most comfortable place he could find. He would be very happy when that came off. “I think we need a bigger bed.”

Lex laughed. “I bought what I thought would work for me. I didn’t imagine I’d be lucky enough for a _threesome_ happening in here.” He tapped his fingers against Griff’s hips in idle thought. “We’d have to get a new bed frame too.”

Dean happily stayed tucked between the other two, listening to their domestic chatter. He couldn’t help a snort at a thought that crossed his mind, which had them both looking curiously at him. He couldn’t help the touch of red as he voiced it. “I could buy you that, easy.”

A slow blink later and Lex suddenly broke out in a grin. “I forgot you’re a bigshot CEO there for a moment. You don’t have to buy us squat. I have a good pile of cash squirrelled away from my old internet business adventures before being a spy.” He lightly kissed Dean’s chest. “Thanks for the sentiment though.”

“No really.” Dean let his hand drift down and lightly stroke Lex’s back. “I’ve been freeloading off of you two for weeks now, not to even mention you’ve protected me!” He pulled them tighter against him. “Plus, you know, you are my favorite people.” His only people, but he didn’t really want to focus on that. “Let me do something for you for once.”

Griff rolled his eyes. “You’ve done plenty.” He raised his cast. “You’ve been my helper for the entire time when you didn’t have to.” He continued to talk over Dean’s protestations. “No it doesn’t matter _why_ I broke it, you helped.”

Dean huffed a frustrated sigh. “I’m going to ship you something anyway. If you want a choice in it accept my gift now.”

Lex laughed and patted Dean’s chest. “Alright alright, don’t ruin my decorating scheme.” He couldn’t help a teasing grin as he thought about his options. “Maybe a four poster this time.”

It was Griff’s turn to huff a laugh. “It would need to be pretty solid. You sure we have space in here for that?”

“One of those wrought iron sets would have a low profile while still being solid.” Lex looked up at Dean. “I’m starting to think I may need to add some of my money to this too.”

Dean shook his head. “No.” He lightly gripped Lex’s hair and teasingly shook it. “Just me, no limit.”

Lex shivered at the tug and nipped at Dean’s chest in retaliation. Dean tugged a little harder in surprise, which earned him a gasp and a hard grind against his thigh. Griff grinned, watching them. “I think you started something.”

“Not intentionally! I was just making a point.” Dean, whatever he said, still tangled his hand further into Lex’s hair, who grinned up at him. Fingers were already starting to trail places as Griff leaned forward to steal his mouth again. These last couple of days would be fun.


End file.
